Mavyret (glecaprevir and pibrentasvir and also known as Maviret) is a prescription medication used to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adults and certain pediatric patients (over 12 and 100lbs/45kg). While it has proven to be effective for many, like all medications, Maviret can have side effects. It’s important to be informed about […]
Author Archives: Dr James
21
Feb
Feb
There is some exciting news from the Medicines Patent Pool in that Mylan have signed on to produce a generic glecaprevir/pibrentasvir. https://medicinespatentpool.org/mpp-media-post/the-medicines-patent-pool-and-mylan-sign-agreement-to-scale-up-access-to-first-generic-version-of-hepatitis-c-treatment-glecaprevir-pibrentasvir/ This is really significant for areas of Africa where the subtypes of HCV are very resistant to DAAs, for patient with renal failure and for patients who have failed one or more DAA […]
11
Feb
Feb
We live in a world of soundbites where complex issues are often condensed into memes and slogans. When it comes to fighting a global health threat like 2019-nCoV the simple reality is that memes and slogans are not going to cut it. We need statesmanship and we need leadership, so it’s reassuring to see exactly […]
22
Oct
Oct
The new drugs that cure Hepatitis C are great but what people often forget is that they are our first-ever cure for a virus. It used to be thought that curing Hepatitis B was a pipedream but this breakthrough with Hep C has reinvigorated the search for not just new treatments for Hep B but […]
03
Jul
Jul
The red ribbon used for HIV awareness has been a potent tool destigmatizing that disease. Several years ago conversations with Greg Jefferys about the Butterfly Effect and treatment advocates like Hazel Heal from New Zealand, Isabelle Andrieux-Meyer from Médecins Sans Frontières and Dr Sherine Helmy from Pharco/DNDi combined with the happy coincidence of Dr James […]
02
Jul
Jul
Hi All, We need your help. We don’t normally do this but it’s important. Ok, so what? In 2015 Swissmedic changed the rule that said a patient can import only 1 month of medication for their own use to say they could import 3 months. This was mostly about access to Hep C medication, but […]
29
May
May
The development of Hepatitis C Direct-Acting Antiviral medications (DAAs), and their introduction to the market in 2013, was a major victory in the fight against the HCV virus. It was a breakthrough that rivalled the invention of penicillin because while penicillin was the first really effective drug invented to treat bacterial infections, the DAA Sofosbuvir […]
17
May
May
Epclusa (velpatasvir/sofosbuvir) for Hepatitis C Medically reviewed by Dena Westphalen, PharmD on December 20, 2018 — Written by Lindsay Slowiczek, PharmD Reprinted with permission of Healthline. About Generic Side effects Cost Epclusa and alcohol Dosage Adherence Uses Alternatives Epclusa vs. Harvoni Epclusa vs. Mavyret Epclusa vs. Vosevi Interactions Epclusa and ribavirin How to take […]
16
May
May
Released in 2016, Epclusa has the remarkable ability to cure 96% of Hepatitis C sufferers regardless of genotype. It was an exciting new drug from Gilead Sciences, the innovator of the breakthrough medication Harvoni. Unfortunately, similar to Harvoni, which was released two years prior, the excitement was short lived due to the price tag. While […]
12
Feb
Feb
So back in late 2017 the Cochrane Collaboration made the bold claim that treatment with Direct Acting Antivirals did not have any measurable impact on clinical outcomes. While the medical profession as a whole expressed a large and collective WTF sentiment new research published in the Lancet – “Clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis […]